CAT Protocol

Engineering CAT Protocol

Summary

Donan’s Engineering CAT Protocol is a response to client demand for as many experts as possible as quickly as possible in the wake of catastrophic events. When this protocol is implemented, additional Donan resources are brought in from outside a region to assist clients with the increased demand. In other words, CAT Protocol facilitates getting licensed and qualified experts to a CAT-impacted area on a moment’s notice.

When a catastrophe occurs:

The nearest Donan office(s) will operate under Engineering CAT Protocol

All available engineers licensed to do work in the impacted state(s) will be deployed to the designated office(s)

CAT rates will be charged for all engineering work associated with the designated office(s)

CAT rates will be in effect only for the office(s) impacted by an event and only for the length of time that client demand exceeds regional resources. We will be as upfront and transparent as possible about their implementation. Clients will be alerted to the availability of CAT resources and the enactment of CAT rates:

Via e-mail

On the home page of Donan.com

On the email acknowledgments sent for every project assigned to the designated office(s) before work begins

A: This change grew out of our experiences with super storm Sandy and the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. In the wake of those catastrophes, our clients made it clear they needed more Donan resources on site – and quickly. In response to that client demand, Donan will proactively send as many experts as possible to CAT-impacted areas to provide the highest-quality service for as long as needed. CAT rates are a proportional way of covering the increased costs we incur by deploying additional resources.

Q: When did this go into effect?

A: The protocol came online on July 1, 2013. Clients were notified of the change via hard copy letter.

Q: How does it work?

A: Examples of catastrophic events include, but are not limited to, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. When such an event occurs, the Donan office (or offices) nearest to the CAT area will operate under Engineering CAT Protocol. At that time, CAT rates will be implemented as Donan makes additional resources from outside the region available to assist clients with increased demand. CAT rates will remain in effect for the office(s) only as long as client demand exceeds Donan’s regional resources.

We will be upfront and transparent about the implementation of CAT Protocol. Clients will be alerted to the availability of CAT resources and the enactment of CAT rates via email and on the home page of Donan.com. CAT rates will also be indicated on the email acknowledgment sent for every project assigned to the impacted office(s) before work begins and again on every invoice that includes billing at those rates.

Q: What if I have a project unrelated to the CAT event?

A: Donan’s policy is to always bill from the office closest to the loss location. If a client’s project is not CAT related, but the closest office is operating under Engineering CAT Protocol, there are several options available.

The project can be immediately added to the queue, handled as quickly as possible and charged at CAT rates; we will do this automatically.

Alternatively, we can place the project in hold status until the closest office is no longer operating under CAT Protocol.

We can also arrange for an expert from a different office – one not operating under CAT Protocol – to handle the project; note that time and travel from that office will be billed.

Clients can select the option that works best for them and be confident that Donan will remain upfront and transparent about our prices and policies.

Q: How did Donan decide on this pricing structure?

A: We considered other options such as fixed-price CAT investigations and CAT surcharges. We ultimately decided on CAT rates, because they’re a simple and proportional way of dealing with the wide variety of project types that can result from a catastrophe.